22 August 2008

NOMiptera

A preying mantis nymph holds the impaled remains of what was a living shield bug ten minutes earlier. The mantis was a fastidious eater, tearing first into the head of the hapless bug and sparing it the sight of witnessing its own dismemberment by munching off the eyes. It then chomped down on one side of the pronotum and chewed off each leg in turn, crunching every millimetre of chitin between its jaws. The speed of its devouring was uncannily fast for a creature with a modest head and mandibles that seem almost too delicate for a predator of holy mien. If these insects were the size of rats, they'd pose a real threat to soft and squishy ducks...